JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The state Department of Health on Sunday reported 533 new cases of the coronavirus in Duval County, bringing the county’s total number of cases to 50,230 since the start of the pandemic.
The 533 additional cases in Duval County were among 8,958 cases reported statewide by the Florida Department of Health on Sunday.
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According to the health department, 1,125,931 people in Florida have tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.
On Sunday, the health department also reported 84 additional coronavirus-related deaths, including five in Duval County.
Since March, 20,133 people in Florida have died related to the virus.
Florida and Duval County daily cases reported since June 1
As of around 3:45 p.m. Sunday, 4,687 people were hospitalized in Florida with a primary diagnosis of COVID-19, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration.
The statewide positivity rate based on Saturday’s testing was 7.89%, the health department said Sunday. The positivity rate, a key factor in determining the community spread of the virus, hasn’t dipped below 6.22% in weeks.
A White House Coronavirus Task Force report recommended that Florida put stricter measures in place to slow the spread of the virus, including mask wearing at all times in public, increased physical distancing by reducing capacity or closing indoor spaces at restaurants and bars and limiting gatherings outside of immediate households. The Dec. 6 report, which was obtained by the Center for Public Integrity, also urged leaders to begin warning about the risks of gathering during the December holiday season.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has ruled out further business restrictions or a mask mandate aimed at stopping the virus’ spread.
Among all states, Florida had the 41st most new cases per 100,000 residents and the 33rd highest rate of positive cases, according to the Dec. 6 report.
“Ranking are almost irrelevant as the entire country is surging,” the report said.
Two newspapers last week sued DeSantis’ administration for failing to make public the weekly reports about coronavirus conditions in the Sunshine State put together by the White House Coronavirus Task Force.